Antebellum and Armistice
by Evia Wingjade
Summary: A completely random, song-inspired fic about the friendship of Pyro and Rogue; clips of time between when they meet in X-Men 1.5 and after he leaves in X2. Slightly AU. Song is Antebellum by Vienna Teng.


A completely random, song-inspired fic about the friendship of Pyro and Rogue; clips of time between when they meet in X-Men 1.5 and after he leaves in X2. Slightly AU.

Song: Antebellum by Vienna Teng (lyrics at the end)

Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable.

_Antebellum and Armistice_

They became friends through Bobby. Pyro had known Bobby for years; they offset each others' tempers and somehow it just worked. When Rogue turned up, Pyro though he would lose his only real friend. He figured Bobby would be too caught up in romance to be anywhere to be found. But instead, he'd gained another friend. Rogue understood him in a way that even Bobby never had. They were both afraid to get close to people, so they were outsiders in a very similar way.

It was fall; multicolored leaves covered both the trees and the ground. The high temperature was forecasted at 45 degrees F. Rogue walked the campus of Xavier's school with glee; it was finally cooling off, and the long sleeves she wore all the time would soon be worn by all. Pyro walked with her, but neither spoke. It wasn't necessary. John knew what she was thinking of, as she knew that he pondered the coming cold for his own reasons. They stopped and watched as a few of the younger students made leaf piles to jump into. Rogue was glad to see that there were no rakes involved—one of the telekinetics was making the pile, with enthusiastic help of other students who just used their hands. A young teleporter dropped friends into the large pile from a couple feet above the top. Rogue grinned, watching the childish fun. John watched Rogue, and smiled at her amusement.

"Looks like fun, don't it?" Rogue asked teasingly.

"You go right ahead," John replied. Rogue just rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove.

The kids noticed them and stopped playing, watching the two older students, both enigmas in a school bursting with the unlikeliest of people. Rogue and Pyro walked back into the school without the smiles they were wearing moments before.  
It was spring before they walked the grounds together again.

*

Spring came in a burst of color. Rogue turned up outside Pyro's door, and they went to walk the school grounds. It was early spring, still too cool for the many to be outside; they both wore jackets over their long-sleeved shirts. They sat on a bench overlooking most of the flowerbeds and joked about the coming classes and nearing graduation. Pyro admitted that he was thinking of looking into the Brotherhood, drawing surprise from Rogue.

"Why would you want to leave us?" She asked, hurt. She thought they were friends.

"I can't find what I need here. And besides, you don't need me. You've got Bobby." He got up and went inside.

Rogue sat by herself until darkness fell that night. It was the last time they walked the grounds together.

*

When Pyro left, Rogue wasn't surprised. She had been waiting for the last few weeks for him to follow through with his plan. The comment Magneto made on the X-jet was just what he needed to push him into leaving.

She wrote him a letter, just making sure he was okay. She hired a mercenary to deliver it to Magneto's base, knowing that she would never find it, and that once paid, this particular individual was trustworthy enough. She received the reply a week later.

_I'm ok. If you want to talk, come to the mall Thursday afternoon. I'll be waiting around 2pm._

The next day. She went. She couldn't not; Pyro had been her best friend, after Logan, and Logan was hardly ever around. She found Pyro exactly where she expected; in the food court, near the music store. They both loved music. When he saw her, he stood up and waited, then asked her to come with him. They had walked for nearly 20 minutes when Pyro stopped and put a hand on Rogue's covered arm.

"I want to show you where to find me, if you need anything. I never meant to abandon you."

Rogue was dumbstruck, and just nodded. Pyro led her through a maze of buildings to a smaller one, which he called the Forward Center.

"Thank you, Pyro," Rogue said, "but do you really have to do this? Can't you just come home?"

He shook his head. "They would never trust me again. I wish right now that I could take it back, go back to how we were, but I can't. I would be captured and held on sight if anyone saw me near the Mansion."

Rogue nodded, but she still wouldn't give up. "Is it home?" He looked surprised, and she asked again, "Is Magneto's camp home like the Mansion is?"

He hesitated, but shook his head. "You go home. I have to stay here, at least for now. You know how much it hurt Bobby when I left. I can't go back and face that yet."

"You're with strangers here," Rogue said, sounding forlorn.

Pyro nodded, then said, "Things at the mansion will keep going without me. You need to be there, though. You don't need to stay here and be stuck with strangers."

*

Rogue went back to the Mansion. Pyro stayed with Magneto. Even after the battle on Alcatraz, she thought of Pyro as one of her best friends. Once every few months she would find a letter or an invitation in her room. She always kept the letters, always made time to go see him. She hated that he still wouldn't come home, but she knew it was necessary now. But still; how much had they both lost, so Pyro could prove that he could make it without the X-Men?

_Antebellum _by Vienna Teng

In the fall,  
We circle through the leaves  
And talk about the little ones.  
And we smile, but never say too much.  
The moment always vanishing.  
One by one the neighbors' lights come on.  
Our October day is almost gone.

I know the border lines we drew between us  
Keep the weapons down,  
Keep the wounded safe;  
I know our antebellum innocence  
Was never meant to see the light of our armistice day.

In the spring,  
We climbed the rolling hills  
And talked about our budding plans.  
And we smiled,  
Our faces like a mirror  
Showing us our secret sides.  
But then the fights...  
The sharp words splintering the night,  
How I couldn't be what you'd need...  
But oh how I could make you bleed...

I know the border lines we drew between us  
Keep the weapons down,  
Keep the wounded safe;  
I know our antebellum innocence  
Was never meant to see the light of our armistice.  
But how much would I give to have it back again?  
How much did we lose  
To live this way?

You'll go home...I'll stay here  
Seasons keep on marching  
I'll stay here...you'll go home  
With only strangers watching


End file.
